Oak Resources Management Plan
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EXHIBIT A El Dorado County Oak Resources Managenient Plan September 2017 El Dorado County Community Development Agency Long Range Planning Division 2850 Fairlane Court, Placerville, CA 95667 OAK RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PLAN Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................... l 1.1 Purpose ...................................................................................................................1 1.2 Goals and Objectives of Plan .................................................................................2 1.3 Oak Resources in El Dorado County .....................................................................3 1.3.1 Oak Woodlands ........................................................................................... .3 1.3 .2 Oak Trees .................................................................................................... .4 1.4 Economic Activity, Land, and Ecosystem Values of Oak Resources ....................4 1.5 State-level Regulations ...........................................................................................4 2.0 Oak Resources Impact Mitigation Requirements .........................................................6 2.1 Applicability, Exemptions and Mitigation Reductions ..........................................6 2.1.1 Single-Family Lot Exemption...................................................................... 6 2.1.2 Fire Safe Activities Exemption ....................................................................6 2.1.3 Utility Line Maintenance Exemption ...........................................................6 2.1.4 County Road Project Exemption ................................................................. 7 2.1.5 Affordable Housing Exemption ................................................................... 7 2.1.6 Agricultural Activities Exemption ............................................................... 7 2.1.7 Emergency Operations Exemption .............................................................. 7 2.1.8 Timber Harvest Plan Exemption.................................................................. 7 2.1.9 Dead, Dying, or Diseased Trees Exemption ................................................7 2.1.10 Personal Use Exemption ............................................................................ 8 2.1.11 Mitigation Reductions for AffordableHousing ......................................... 8 2.2 Oak Woodland Permits and Mitigation .................................................................. 8 2.2.1 Oak Woodland Removal Permits ................................................................. 9 2.2.2 Oak Woodland Mitigation ........................................................................ .10 2.3 Individual Native Oak Tree and Heritage Tree Permits and Mitigation ............. .12 2.3.1 Oak Tree Removal Permits ........................................................................12 2.3.2 Oak Tree Mitigation ...................................................................................13 2.4 Replacement Planting Guidelines ....................................................................... .14 2.5 Oak Resources Technical Reports ........................................................................17 2.6 Mitigation Program Flexibility............................................................................. 18 El Dorado County September 2017 Oak Resources Management Plan 12-1203 270 (Revised) 7 of 213 3.0 In-Lieu Fee ..................................................................................................................19 3.1 Oak Woodlands ....................................................................................................19 3 .2 Oak Trees .............................................................................................................20 3.3 Fee Adjustments, Accounting, and Reviews ........................................................21 4.0 Priority Conservation Areas ........................................................................................22 4.1 Identificationof Priority Conservation Areas ...................................................... 22 4.2 Management of PCAs ..........................................................................................24 4.3 Conservation Outside of PCAs ............................................................................ 24 4.4 Conservation Easements ......................................................................................25 4.5 Deed Restrictions .................................................................................................25 5.0 Application of ORMP to Development Review Process ............................................26 6.0 Definitions................................................................................................................... 28 Appendices A. Oak Resources Management Plan Background and Support Information B. El Dorado County Oak Resources In-Lieu Fees Nexus Study C. General Plan Goals, Objectives, Policies and Measures Applicable to the Oak Resources Management Plan D. Best Management Practices forOak Resources E. Guidelines forMaintenance, Restoration, and Rehabilitation of Oak Resources F. Resources G. Literature Cited List of Tables 1. Acreage of Oak Woodland Types in the ORMP Planning Area (2015 FRAP Data) .....3 2. Affordable Housing Mitigation Reduction ..................................................................... 8 3. Oak Woodland Mitigation Ratios .................................................................................10 4. Oak Tree Replacement Quantities ................................................................................15 5. Oak Woodland In-Lieu Fee ..........................................................................................19 6. Individual Oak Tree In-Lieu Fee .................................................................................. 20 7. PCA Parcel Statistics ....................................................................................................22 List of Figures 1. Oak Resources Permitting and Mitigation Process...................................................... .11 2. Priority Conservation Areas, Oak Woodlands, and Public Lands in El Dorado County ...........................................................................................................................23 El Dorado County 11 September 2017 Oak Resources Management Plan 12-1203 270 (Revised) 8 of 213 1.0 Introduction This Oak Resources Management Plan (ORMP) updates and revises the Oak Woodland Management Plan adopted by the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors on May 6, 2008 (El Dorado County 2008). It incorporates more recent oak resources mapping data for the County and reflects policy language changes made during the General Plan Biological Policy Review project conducted in 2015. This ORMP incorporates relevant information included in the 2008 Plan, where applicable, and was prepared in coordination with El Dorado County Community Development Agency staff. It also incorporates public input gathered during project-focused hearings and direction given by the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors. All relevant terms and definitions are located in Section 6.0 (Definitions)of this Plan. 1.1 Purpose The purpose of this ORMP is to definemitigation requirements for impacts to oak resources (oak woodlands, individual native oak trees, and Heritage Trees) and to outline the County's strategy for oak woodland conservation. This ORMP functions as the oak resources component of the County's biological resources mitigation program, identified in General Plan Policy 7.4.2.8. This ORMP identifies standards for oak woodland and native oak tree impact determination, mechanisms to mitigate oak woodland and native oak tree impacts, technical report submittal requirements, minimum qualifications for technical report preparation, mitigation monitoring and reporting requirements, and projects or actions that are exempt from mitigation requirements. This ORMP also establishes an in-lieu fee payment option for impacts to oak resources, identifies Priority Conservation Areas (PCAs) where oak woodland conservation efforts may be focused, and outlines minimum standards for identification of oak woodland conservation areas outside the PCAs. Requirements for maintenance and monitoring of conserved oak woodland areas and identification of allowable uses within conserved oak woodland areas are also included in this ORMP. Lastly, the ORMP establishes a plan for voluntary conservation that landowners, the County, and others may use to seek grants and cost sharing from state programs for oak woodland conservation in El Dorado County. Loss and fragmentation of wildlife habitat, including oaks and oak woodlands, was identified in the 2004 General Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR) as a significant impact that would result from development under the General Plan. The County identified several mitigation measures which would reduce the severity of these impacts, although not to a less than significant level. These mitigation measures included Policies 7.4.4.4, 7.4.4.5 and 7.4.5 .2, and the related Implementation Measure CO-P. During the General Plan Biological Policy Review project conducted in 2015, these policies were edited and consolidated into one single policy (Policy 7.4.4.4). Implementation Measure CO-P was also modified